Speed Force
by Neon Majestic
Summary: What happens when the Flash has to face up against his greatest enemy...his own best friend? The origin of Zoom, the ReverseFlash! PG for some violence. With Commentary from the author!
1. Default Chapter

SPEED FORCE  
  
SUMMARY: The Flash comes face-to-face with an old friend turned super-villain who desires to make him face as much tragedy as possible...  
  
JL ROLL CALL: Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, J'onn J'onzz  
  
FEATURED CHARACTER: The Flash  
  
VILLAIN: Zoom  
  
SUPPORTING VILLAINS: Gorilla Grodd, Giganta  
  
COMMENTARY  
  
----------  
  
He must face his ultimate opposite. A man who has lost his pride, confidence and identity to tragedy. A man who will run with him down a hellish road -- and feel no guilt in bringing him there. (Flash #197, 2003)  
  
Since the show's scriptwriters don't seem ready to create a story for one of the Flash's major enemies, I've taken it upon myself to do so. My hope is that, upon seeing this, the creative team will consider using this guy, Zoom, in a story arc that centers around one of the Justice League's more hilarious members, the Flash.  
  
Although I've never actually read a Flash comic, I used to watch the one-season series on television, and I was hooked. I've also been watching this series for a while now, and it doesn't seem as if any of Flash's major enemies will be used at all - Gorilla Grodd, Vandal Savage and the Shade are fine characters, but they've been used up in story arcs by now and, besides, I'd like to see a villain who could actually make the Flash stop and think for a moment. That's where Zoom comes in: he's the Flash's mirror opposite, so much so that he even wears the same costume with inverted colors.  
  
On the subject, there are three points I'd like to make. First, the matter of Zoom's identity as Hunter Zolomon. From the research I've done, in the comics there are two Reverse-Flashes, Eobard Thawne (who came from the 25th century to battle the Barry Allen Flash), and Hunter Zolomon (who fought the Wally West Flash). In the comics, the reason that Flash (Wally) and Zoom (Hunter) got so personal with each other was because Zoom targeted Wally's wife Linda (who was pregnant at the time) and made her miscarry...and, of course, we all should know how much Flash loves Linda...in this, however, since Linda hasn't been used yet (or probably never will be), I'm just going to concentrate on the fact that Hunter and Wally were best friends, then Hunter got mad because Flash wouldn't assist him in the way he was asking. And the story develops from there.  
  
Number two: the matter of how Hunter gets his powers and becomes Zoom. In this story, he will get his powers in a complex story arc that involves another major villain of the Justice League, Gorilla Grodd. In the story, Grodd creates a time machine for the purpose of going several years back in time so that he can create total domination of the apes of the ancient Gorilla City over humanity. Of course, he is sought out by both the League and the authorities (which includes Zolomon, whose back gets broken during this misadventure) and captured. Later, as in the comics, Hunter begs the Flash to go back in time to prevent the accident, but the Flash refuses; so Hunter steals into the FBI facility where they have the time machine and he attempts to use it himself, but it explodes and gives him his powers, putting him on a faster timeline in the process.  
  
The reason I'm using a time machine that isn't the Cosmic Treadmill (which was the machine Hunter tried to hotwire in the comics) is because as a natural speedster, Wally had no need for the Treadmill in the comics, and there has been no hint of Barry Allen being around in the series, so there's really no need for a Treadmill. Plus, this scenario seems more realistic to me, at least.  
  
Finally, a word about Zoom's powers. In the comics, in addition to running really fast, he was able to use speed vibrations to cause physical damage to others; plus, he could vibrate through solid objects and use his speed to tear open the delicate time-fabric. In my story arc, he'll have all those powers except the last one, for in the comics, that ability got him trapped, freezing him in time and forcing him to watch his greatest mistake again and again. However, like in the comics, he will be able to run so fast even the Flash will see him as a blur.  
  
In short, I'm planning to use this villain as one of the tragic characters for the Justice League, and as a villain that will force the Flash to really think about himself and his responsibilities and build his character for the better. 


	2. CHAPTER 01

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 01 TIME: 0600 hrs. PLACE: The Watchtower, orbiting the planet Earth  
  
High atop the Earth, just outside of the atmosphere, the Justice League Watchtower floated in orbit, constantly overlooking the planet. Inside were some of the world's greatest heroes – the heroes who comprised the Justice League.  
  
Inside, the Flash was looking at a whiteboard he'd posted on one of the walls. On that whiteboard were mug shots of some of the most dangerous villains he'd had to overcome in his career as a superhero. As he scrutinized the pictures, a voice behind him asked, "Flash, just what are you doing?"  
  
Turning, he came face-to-face with his friend, John Stewart, the Green Lantern. "Oh, hey, G.L.," he replied. "Come check it out."  
  
Lantern walked over and looked at the board. "I noticed you've had this thing here since two days ago," he said. "Just what purpose is it supposed to serve?"  
  
"I'm making a pyramid of all the villains I've faced since I got my powers," Flash explained. "The least dangerous are at the bottom, and the most dangerous are, of course, at the top."  
  
Lantern examined the villain roster, appropriately marked Flash's Rogues' Gallery. "Hmmm...the Shade...Captain Boomerang...Mirror Master...Gorilla Grodd – say, how come the slot at the top is empty?"  
  
"Oh, yeah...about that," said Flash. "Well, granted I've faced a lot of adversaries in the past, but...none of 'em have been dangerous enough to be considered my biggest arch-enemy, you know what I mean?"  
  
"I don't think I'm following," Lantern admitted, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, look at it this way," Flash explained. "You know that your biggest enemy as a Green Lantern is Sinestro, right? And Superman's is Darkseid, and Batman's is the Joker...well, none of my enemies are really in that class."  
  
"Even Gorilla Grodd?" asked Lantern.  
  
"Yeah, well..." Flash frowned as he looked at Grodd's mug shot. "I was considering him for the top spot, but...somehow, I don't think I should. At least not yet."  
  
At that moment his com-link went off, and he answered it. "Y'allo? Oh...hey, man, what's up?...Is that so? Well, sure, I'll come! What time? 8:30? Yeah, definitely! Okay, see ya then!"  
  
"What was that all about?" Lantern asked as Flash hung up.  
  
"That was my good buddy in the Central City police force, Hunter Zolomon," Flash explained. "He and I are supposed to hang around at his crib in a few hours – it's his day-off today."  
  
"You guys are that close?" Lantern wondered.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Like brothers?"  
  
"Yeah, sort of." Flash shrugged. "He and I can tell each other anything."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Well, uh – not EVERYTHING, if you know what I mean," Flash amended.  
  
Lantern just looked at him.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0800 hrs. PLACE: Apartment 7E, Georgie's Apartments, Central City  
  
"Yo, Hunter, you in? Open up – it's me!" Flash bellowed, knocking loudly on the door. A moment later the door swung open to reveal a brown- haired man with a mug in one hand.  
  
"Hey, man, pipe down! You're not at Grand Central Station, you know!" he scolded.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, Hunter," Flash apologized, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"As usual," Hunter laughed. He then opened his door some more and stepped aside. "By the way, you're not out on the street, you know. It's always safe to be open with your own pal, right?"  
  
Flash grinned. "True, true." Looking both ways down the corridor, he then removed his mask, and in a second he was Wally West, his alter ego.  
  
"Grab a soda and sit down, huh, Wally?" Hunter invited him.  
  
Wally complied. Soon, he had a Pepsi in one hand and had eased himself on the sofa. "So, how's police work coming along, Hunter?"  
  
"Same as always, you know," Hunter lamented, opening his own can of soda and pouring it into the mug. "Writing up profiles for various criminals, including the super-psychos. It seems like fun when you first get into it, but after a while it becomes a 'same old, same old' type of thing. How 'bout you?"  
  
"Well...you know how it is," said Wally, taking a swig of his soda. "Being the fastest man alive has its perks, plus being a member of the Justice League – but at least there's the comfort of knowing that the criminals – ordinary and super – can't hurt anybody else. Oh, and there's all the babes that come up to you, asking for your autograph."  
  
"I wish I were in your shoes, Wally," Hunter admitted.  
  
"Well, it's not all roses," Wally replied. "Just being the fastest man alive is hard work, if you know what I mean. I have to be stocking up on food every couple of hours just to keep up my metabolism."  
  
"Well, at least there are some things about your body you don't need to speed up, right?" said Hunter, and both of them laughed. At that moment, however, Hunter's cell-phone rang, and in disappointment he answered it.  
  
"Yeah, Zolomon here...you guys need me at the station? What for? It's my day off, you know...Oh? Oh, all right, then, I'll be there...yeah, see you then." He looked at Wally. "Sorry, man."  
  
"Oh, hey, no worries." Wally replaced his mask and once again, he was the Flash. "The other heroes will probably be calling me in a moment, anyway. Well, see ya!" One second later he was speeding out the door.  
  
Hunter smiled and shook his head. "Same as always, that one..."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Moments later saw Flash at the hot dog stand. "Yeah, fifteen chili- dogs with extra mustard," he said.  
  
"Fifteen? Dude, you've got one big appetite, you know that?" the vendor exclaimed. "Well, as long as you've got the cash, right?"  
  
"Yeah...so, how much?" asked Flash.  
  
"$2.00 for a chili-dog, so...that's 30 bucks for ya, big guy," said the vendor.  
  
Before Flash could reach his pocket, however, a familiar hand reached over to the vendor with some crisp bills in hand. "$34.00 – that's fifteen chili-dogs for him, two for me," said Lantern.  
  
"G.L.! Uh – what brings you here?" Flash exclaimed, turning red in the face.  
  
"I was in the neighborhood," Lantern grinned as he accepted the chilidogs from the vendor. "Hey, Flash, here you go. So, wanna tell me more about your pal Hunter?"  
  
Flash turned even redder. "Um...maybe we can talk about it elsewhere?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure." The two men walked some distance away from the vendor's stand, both munching on their chilidogs. "Well, Flash, who would've thought your real name's Wally? Sounds kinda corny for an alter ego..."  
  
"Hey, would you keep it down? What, you want the whole of Central City to know?" Flash scolded. "And since when do you eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"  
  
"Sorry, sorry." Lantern laughed. "But you could've at least told me that you and he were THAT chummy, you know...chummy enough for him to know who you really are."  
  
"Well, you know...he's helped me bring down a couple of bad guys in the past, and as time's gone by, we've earned each other's trust and confidence."  
  
"But is it wise? I mean, having him know your I.D. like this," said Lantern. "Wouldn't that put him in danger?"  
  
"It would – if anybody thought he knew," said Flash. "But he is one guy who knows how to keep secrets, and I'm grateful for that."  
  
"You know, Flash, you're really lucky to have a pal like him," said Lantern after a moment's thought. "You don't have a lot of those in the world anymore."  
  
"Yeah...I guess that's right..."  
  
At that moment Lantern's com-link went off, and he answered it. "Yeah, Lantern here."  
  
On the other end of the line came the voice of an all-too-familiar person – Batman, the Dark Knight. "Lantern, it's me," he said. "We've just gotten reports that Gorilla Grodd is operating in Central City. Be on the lookout."  
  
"Copy that, Batman," said Lantern. "Flash is here with me, so we'll check it out right now. Where's Grodd at?"  
  
"He has a hiding place in the subway system," said Batman. "Find him and flush him out."  
  
"Grodd, huh?" said Flash. "Well, okay." He turned on his own com-link and punched in a frequency number. After a moment Hunter's voice came up: "Yeah?"  
  
"Hey, Hunter, it's me," said Flash. "You know about any big, ugly, talking gorillas in Central City?"  
  
"You mean Grodd? Yeah, we're aware of him," said Hunter. "Our dispatcher just sent the alert to your Justice League friends. We suspect that he's operating in the westbound side of the subway system. I'm already on my way there with the units."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you there then!" Flash snapped off his com-link. "C'mon, G.L., let's go!" A moment later he was speeding off toward the west side of the city, Lantern flying after him. 


	3. CHAPTER 02

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 02 TIME: 0835 hrs. PLACE: A hidden laboratory in the Central City subway  
  
Gorilla Grodd looked around him and smiled in satisfaction. All around him, there were various used and old machinery parts, but some of what was strewn before him appeared quite new and not even used. As he was not a monkey who liked disorderliness, he decided that he should do some cleaning up.  
  
His eyes started glowing bright yellow and his brow furrowed – he was using his telekinesis. True to form, objects started moving around the room on their own, moved by his mind, and settled in the places he designated them to be in.  
  
"Just about done," he said to himself with some satisfaction. "Now, where IS that Giganta? Surely it couldn't take her this long to get back with supplies..."  
  
As he said that, he heard a rustling behind him. Turning around, he came face-to-face with his loyal servant, a tall, burly redhead with two bags in her arms. "Hey, baby," she cooed sweetly, coming over and kissing him on the cheek. "Miss me?"  
  
"Get everything?" he asked.  
  
For answer she emptied the bags on the table. Scattered on the table were various engine parts, nuts and bolts. "Everything you sent me for is here," she announced.  
  
Grodd surveyed the parts, and a smile came over his face. "Good, very good." He gently caressed her face. "Now, Giganta, in just a few more minutes, the device will be complete...and then, you and I will rule this world as we were born to do."  
  
"Yes, Grodd," she replied, hugging him close to her.  
  
Just then Grodd looked up hard at the ceiling. "Hmmm...it would seem we've got visitors," he said. "My dear, would you be so kind as to welcome them?"  
  
"But of course."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Above them, on the street, squad cars were gathered near the subway entrance. Among the officers gathered there was Hunter Zolomon. "Finally...some real action for a change," he muttered to himself.  
  
At that moment Flash and Green Lantern arrived. "Hey, man, what's the situation like?" Flash asked.  
  
"Well, right now we've got officers down below getting civilians out of the subway," Hunter informed them. "Afterward, we're gonna flush him out of there."  
  
Just then an officer at the front called out, "They're coming out! Hold your fire!"  
  
In a moment several frantic commuters, guided by officers, poured out of the entrance and hurried away from the squad cars. As Flash and Lantern watched, the latter suddenly noticed an all-too-conspicuous woman in a shawl, standing head and shoulders above everyone else.  
  
"Hold it right there, lady!" he barked, using his ring's powers to trap her in a green bubble, holding her above the crowd and drawing her in.  
  
"Well, whaddaya know – it's Giganta!" said Flash, amused. "Still looking as hot as ever – for a former gorilla."  
  
But Giganta wasn't amused. To the astonishment of all, she began to increase in size, getting bigger and bigger quite rapidly, until she burst through the energy bubble and landed with some force on the ground, leaving giant impressions in the pavement and causing the terrified civilians to scatter for cover.  
  
"Open fire!" the squad leader ordered. At once fifteen police officers started spending their shells, all aimed at Giganta.  
  
"Oh, c'mon – what're you guys shooting me with, mosquitoes?" she mocked as she suddenly rammed one hand into the ground. The massive shockwave blew several officers some distance back; however, before any could come to injury, Lantern used his ring's powers to form a protective barrier on the ground and near the debris.  
  
"Go, Flash! Find Grodd – I'll take care of his girlfriend!" Lantern shouted, flying up to do battle with Giganta. Flash complied, racing into the subway to look for the psychic gorilla.  
  
Lantern quickly used his ring's energy to form a giant boxing glove. "Let's go, big girl!" he challenged.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Flash kicked up dust as he sped on the train-line, looking for any trace of Grodd or his hiding place. "Now, if I were a big, ugly, talking gorilla bent on destroying humanity, where would I hide?" he asked himself.  
  
Presently he came upon a hole in the wall of the track, with what appeared to be boxes inside. "Bingo," he sang out as he slowed down.  
  
Stepping inside, he took note of everything he saw. To one side he noted a rather large bed, and as he observed it, a very foul stench hit his nostrils with sudden force. Bodily fluids. "Okaaay...let's NOT think about that," he chastised himself.  
  
Looking around some more, Flash then noticed a peculiar-looking contraption at the far end of the room. "Hey, what have we here?" he wondered as he stepped forward to examine it.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
"Unnngh!"  
  
Lantern grunted as Giganta slammed him back into the pavement. Flying up again, he fired bolts of energy at her, but she still kept coming. Forming his energy into a giant hammer, he hit her straight in the gut, forcing her to her knees.  
  
"Okay, now you've done it!" she screeched. Lantern was totally unprepared for the sudden uppercut she landed on him, sending him flying into the wall of a building. Even before he could get his bearings back, Giganta was right before him, hammering her fists into the hole he'd made in the wall.  
  
A sudden tapping on her shoulder ceased Giganta's onslaught. Turning around, she was totally unprepared for the powerful onslaught of fists that rained on her face. Toppling back, she collapsed on the street, shrinking back to her original height.  
  
A dazed Lantern looked up out of swollen eyes. "Uhhh..."  
  
Floating before him was Wonder Woman. "You all right?" she asked.  
  
"I'll live...I think."  
  
She held out her hand, and he accepted it. "Where's Flash?" she asked.  
  
"In the subway, looking for the monkey," replied Lantern.  
  
The duo floated to the ground. "Let's go and give him a hand, shall we?" said Wonder Woman.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Lantern, "but first let's clear up any casualties out here, and make sure our little friend – " He pointed at an unconscious Giganta. "– is properly placed in custody."  
  
"Fine."  
  
One of the police officers suddenly called out, "Hey! Where'd Zolomon go?!" 


	4. CHAPTER 03

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 03 TIME: 0840 hrs. PLACE: A hidden laboratory in the Central City subway  
  
The device looked like some sort of hallway mirror frame, except it was mechanical and had a console with various buttons, levers and wires at the bottom. The middle of the frame was about 15 feet by 6 feet, big enough for someone with a big body to walk through with ease. "Hmmm...I wonder what this thing does?" Flash wondered.  
  
Suddenly he grimaced and held his head, screaming in agony as he fell over. Behind him came the ominous form of Grodd. "Didn't anyone ever teach you not to touch things that didn't belong to you?" he demanded as he raised his mighty fists to crush his opponent.  
  
Flash dashed out of the way at the last moment, however. "Hey, Grodd! Just what are you up to?" he asked.  
  
Grodd grinned maliciously. Then, his eyes glowed – and the next thing Flash knew, he was being suspended in midair! "What the – " was all he could manage as Grodd's powers slammed him from one wall to another, then on the ceiling and floor. Finally, Grodd grabbed Flash by the throat and pinned him to the floor.  
  
"Well, since you're so inquisitive, and since you're going to die anyway, I suppose I might tell you," said Grodd, his eyes shining with murder. "That device is a time machine I've been working on for some time now. As soon as I make it active, I intend to go back to the era when apes still ruled the world. After that, everything you know now – hot dog stands, movie theaters, sports magazines – all of that will cease to exist, because humanity will never exist in this reality, this timeline."  
  
Grodd then raised one fist. "And the first thing I'll do to ensure that nothing interferes with my scheme," he said, "is to smash your puny skull into jelly!"  
  
Suddenly, from behind Grodd, there was a loud BANG! The next thing, Grodd howled in pain as, releasing Flash from his grip, he instinctively reached behind him to find the foreign object that had penetrated his skin. His fingers quickly found it – a dart that dripped fluid. Snarling in his animal rage, he turned to see who or what had been responsible.  
  
Standing at the entrance was Hunter Zolomon, a gun in one hand. "Tranquilizer darts," he announced. "Even for someone as intelligent as you, Grodd, they still always have the desired effect."  
  
Flash, coughing as he fought to catch his breath, cried hoarsely, "Hunter, no! Get away!"  
  
Grodd roared, "You pathetic, meddling human! I'll show you respect!"  
  
Hunter trained his gun on Grodd again, backing away as he did. "Try me, you dumb gorilla."  
  
Howling, Grodd rushed at Hunter. The officer quickly fired four more tranquilizer darts at the maddened gorilla, but next thing he knew Grodd reached forward and grabbed him by his scalp.  
  
Hunter's eyes widened in sudden fear. "Oh, man."  
  
Now roaring in his fury, Grodd slammed Hunter against the wall five times, each time harder than before. Then, holding onto both of Hunter's ankles with his free hand, he raised the hapless cop over his head.  
  
What happened next seemed to take place in slow motion.  
  
Realizing that Hunter was in mortal danger, Flash staggered to his feet and started to race toward Grodd, screaming, "Grodd, no! DON'T DO IIIIITT!!"  
  
But Grodd did it, anyway. Letting out an unthinkable shriek, he slammed Hunter's back against his own head; a split half-second later a sickening crack could be heard.  
  
Hunter's eyes widened in agony, and his screams of torture could be heard throughout the subway. Grodd, having satisfied his fury, tossed Hunter aside like a rag doll. "So much for him," he said, speaking normally once again. "Now...where was I? Oh, yes – I was going to pound your brains out of your head," turning to face Flash.  
  
"God...no..." Flash just stared at Hunter's limp body, passed out on the floor. "How...how could you, Grodd...?"  
  
Grodd's grin became even more malicious. "I could," he replied, "because I can."  
  
Flash looked from Hunter to Grodd, then back again. Then – all of a sudden he was no longer there. Not even a whiff of dust to say he'd just been there. Not even a streak of red to say he'd moved.  
  
Grodd, of course, was taken quite by surprise. "Huh? Where'd you – "  
  
"YOU MONSTER!" Flash's scream ricocheted around the room as he sped all around Grodd, hurling super-speeding punches at him in frenzy. So unprepared was Grodd, and so fast and hard-hitting were the attacks, that even to try and block the attacks made him dizzy. Flash delivered machine- gun punches in rapid-fire succession, all aimed at Grodd's head and face, finally ending with one solid uppercut that, in his rage, he put extra power behind – enough to send the much bigger gorilla sailing across the room, crashing into several crates.  
  
Grodd's face was all swollen and bloody, and one eye was swollen almost shut, but Flash wasn't done just yet, Tightening his fists harder, he started to walk, very slowly, toward his beaten-to-a-pulp adversary. Seeing this, Grodd now became very frightened.  
  
"N-no! Stay away – stay away from me!" In desperation, Grodd attempted to use his telekinesis to wear down Flash; but, to his shock, Flash merely tightened his jaw and kept walking forward. Then, reaching down, the speedster roughly grabbed Grodd's neck with one hand. As he held up the other in a fist, he spun it until it resembled a mini-tornado on his wrist.  
  
"Now, Grodd...you love that brain of yours so much, huh? Well, say goodbye to it, 'cause I'm gonna drill my fist straight through it," said Flash in an icy overtone.  
  
Grodd's eyes widened in even greater fear. "No...no, please, don't...!" he screamed, holding up both arms to shield his face.  
  
Before Flash could land the blow, however, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Flash, no...he isn't worth it," said Lantern softly.  
  
Flash turned to look at Lantern, his eyes blazing with rage. Lantern continued, still softly, "Listen to me, man...he may deserve it, but if you kill him, you'll be no better than him."  
  
Flash wavered. Then, roughly, he shoved Grodd back on the ground. Turning away, he walked over to Hunter's now unconscious form. Gingerly taking up the body, he turned and dashed out to the subway entrance.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 1100 hrs. PLACE: Central City General Hospital  
  
"Thanks to the efforts of the Justice League, Gorilla Grodd and his accomplice, Giganta, are now back in maximum security at the Central City Penitentiary...however, that victory has come at a high cost to the city, as Officer Hunter Zolomon was critically injured during the battle. The authorities have not given any comment on his status at this time, but have assured our newsroom that we will receive further information on his condition very soon."  
  
Lantern switched off the news report and sat back glumly. "So much for the win over Grodd," he lamented.  
  
"That's all right," Wonder Woman assured him. "At least, when the doctors give the news on Flash's friend, we'll be the first to hear it."  
  
"Speaking of Flash, where is he?" Lantern wondered aloud.  
  
"Still talking to the doctor, no doubt," said Wonder Woman.  
  
"I'll go listen to what they're saying," said Lantern, getting up. "Coming?"  
  
Together, the pair walked to the door, just in time to overhear part of the conversation between Flash and the doctor. Lantern, signaling Wonder Woman not to move another step, paused to listen himself.  
  
"...as I've been telling you, Mr. Flash," the doctor was saying, "Officer Zolomon's spinal cord suffered severe trauma when Grodd, er, bent him the way he did, so..."  
  
"So, cut to the chase, Doc. Will he, or won't he, ever walk again?" Flash's voice came up.  
  
The doctor sighed. "I won't lie to you, Flash. With a few days of rest, he should recover from his other injuries, but...unless he's extremely careful, chances are he could permanently lose the use of his legs. We'll do everything we can to ensure that that doesn't happen, but...I'm only sorry I can't give you any better news than this."  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then Flash said, "It's all right, Doctor. Just make sure that, if you have to tell him anything negative about this, that you do it gently. Please."  
  
"I understand."  
  
At that point Flash turned and walked away. As he stood at the entrance to the waiting room, he beckoned to the other two to come with him. "Is there any hope?" Lantern asked.  
  
"Very slim, the doctor says," Flash replied.  
  
Wonder Woman put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your friend, Flash," she said quietly. "I hope he'll be all right."  
  
Flash looked up at the ceiling woefully. "Me, too. Listen, I'm sorry, guys, but could you head back to the Watchtower without me? I need some time to think."  
  
Lantern and Wonder Woman looked at each other, then at him. "Sure, buddy," Lantern replied. "Take all the time you need."  
  
Flash nodded, then turned and sped out of the hospital, leaving his friends behind. 


	5. CHAPTER 04

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 04 TIME: 1900 hrs. PLACE: Wally West's House, Central City  
  
Wally was fast asleep on his bed, his Flash costume flung to one side. Thinking about the events of the morning had exhausted him emotionally, but thoughts still haunted his mind. Hunter...a cripple...for the rest of his life...? Wasn't there something I could've done?  
  
A knock on the door roused him from sleep. "Uhhh...who's there?" he asked groggily.  
  
From the other end of the door, a voice answered, "Wally, it's Linda. Please open the door."  
  
Wally sat up. "Linda? As in Linda Park?"  
  
"Why – is there another Linda you know? Now, please, open up."  
  
Wally quickly zipped to the door and opened it. Standing before him was a beautiful brunette with a slightly worried look on her face. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Uh – uh, yeah, sure." Wally stepped aside, and as Linda entered, he closed the door.  
  
"I heard about Hunter, so I decided to come see you first – see how you were handling it." Then she regarded him. "God, you look terrible...are you OK?"  
  
Wally sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Linda, I...I don't know if I can stand to imagine Hunter the way he is now. I mean...to have this happen to him..."  
  
Linda sat down beside him. "You're not blaming yourself for this, are you?" she asked softly.  
  
"I was fighting Grodd, Linda...Hunter was just an innocent bystander...and Grodd's quarrel wasn't with him – what could I have done? What SHOULD I have done?" At this point the tears were spilling down Wally's cheeks. Linda pulled him into a tight embrace and let him weep.  
  
For how long they sat there together, neither was really aware; but then the phone rang. Wearily, Wally reached over and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"Mr. Wally West? Officer Zolomon just regained consciousness here at the hospital, and he's asking for you."  
  
"Oh...okay. I'll be there, then." He hung up, then looked at Linda. "Well, let's go pay him a visit, eh?"  
  
"Sure." Linda smiled a little. "Only...let's not do it via the 'Flash Express' this time. I'm in a mood to take a cab."  
  
"Yeah, me too."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 1905 hrs. PLACE: Central City General Hospital  
  
Five minutes later, they arrived at the hospital, and were soon ushered into Hunter's room. When they came in, he was sitting up in bed, a very depressed look on his face.  
  
"Hey, Hunter," said Wally. "You remember Linda, right?"  
  
"Oh...yeah, sure, I remember. How're you doing?" Hunter asked her.  
  
"Well...at this point, I really can't say," Linda said, truthfully. "You?"  
  
Hunter sighed and seemed to sink down into the bed. "I just woke up about, like ten or so minutes ago," he told them. "And then the doctor came in and told me what happened. It's not such a good evening, when you consider it."  
  
"Yeah." Wally sat down beside the bed. "But at least two good things have come out of this: we're both still alive, and Grodd's back in jail."  
  
"That's true – but it doesn't make me feel any better," Hunter answered.  
  
Then he looked up at Linda. "Hey, um...could you excuse us for a sec? There's something I need to talk about with Wally."  
  
"Well, I...all right. I'll be right outside." Linda turned and walked out, carefully closing the door behind her and leaving the two men alone.  
  
Wally looked at Hunter. "Something wrong, Hunter?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"Wally...look, normally I wouldn't ask this of you, but..." Hunter seemed to be struggling with some deep, loathsome burden deep within. "To be told that you'll probably never walk again – it does something to you, you know? And for me – I just don't like the idea. I don't like this feeling I've got...being helpless, I mean."  
  
"What is it, Hunter? What do you wanna ask me?"  
  
This time Hunter looked straight at Wally, out of hard, yet pleading eyes. In a whisper he said, "Well, you're supposed to be the fastest man alive, right? How fast can you run?"  
  
"Well...I can touch near the speed of light, I suppose, if I tried really hard," said Wally. "But, Hunter, what does this have to do with – "  
  
"Please, Wally – couldn't you use your speed to erase everything that's happened? I mean, light speed allows for time-travel, right? So...couldn't you kinda run back in time and stop this whole thing from happening?"  
  
Wally looked hard at Hunter. "Wait, what are you saying?"  
  
"You heard me, Wally. Please."  
  
For a moment, Wally didn't answer. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hunter. I can't do it."  
  
"Whaddaya mean, you can't do it? Look, it doesn't have to be that difficult! I talked to one of my buddies in evidence storage at the station, and he's told me that that time machine thingy of Grodd's – they haven't dismantled it yet. There's still time to do it – nobody would ever have to know!" This time Hunter was on the brink of crying. "I'm begging you, man, please! If I have to stay one more second in this hospital bed, the way I am now, I'm gonna go NUTS!"  
  
Again Wally didn't say anything for a moment. Then, again, he shook his head. "No, Hunter. I can't do it."  
  
Now Hunter was dumbstruck. "But – why?" he asked when he found his voice again.  
  
"As much as I'd want to, Hunter," said Wally, "if any change was made to the past, it could make the future turn out worse than it would normally. I've seen it happen before, and I'm not going to risk it this time." His voice held a note of finality. "I'm sorry, Hunter. That's just how it is."  
  
The pleading look vanished from Hunter's face almost immediately. Replacing it was a look of grim resolve. "I see. So that's how it is, eh? Well, fine."  
  
"Hunter, please, I – "  
  
But Hunter held up a hand. "No, Wally, save it. Please...just leave me alone."  
  
Realizing that argument would do no good, Wally sighed and exited the room. Linda, waiting outside, looked at him with some worry. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
"Please, Linda...I don't want to talk about it now. Let's just...go home." With that, Wally started walking toward the entrance to the hospital with an air that said there was nothing more to discuss on the matter. Sighing, Linda hurried to catch up with him.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Hunter reached for the cell-phone on his nightstand and dialed a number. A moment later the person on the other end answered. "Central City Police."  
  
"Murray? It's me, Hunter. Listen, I need you to do me a favor."  
  
"Anything, man. What?"  
  
"Can you sneak me out of the hospital later tonight?"  
  
"WHAT! Hunter Zolomon, are you insane!?"  
  
"Calm down. I just need you to do this for me. Please."  
  
Silence. Then, "Well, all right, I guess. But whatever for?"  
  
Hunter's jaw tightened. "You remember telling me that Grodd's machine was still operational? I think I'm gonna give it a bit of a shot. Just be here when the hospital closes up to sneak me out of my room." 


	6. CHAPTER 05

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 05 TIME: 0090 hrs. PLACE: Central City Police Station  
  
Much later that night, two figures – one pushing the other in a wheelchair – made their way into the evidence room at the Central City station. "Man, I'm telling you, they'll have my badge for this," one whined.  
  
"Don't worry, Murray," the other coaxed. "By the time this is over, nobody will ever have to know we were even here. Now, where's the machine?"  
  
"It's over here, Zolomon," said Murray, guiding the other cop to the corner of the room, where the machine stood all by itself. "Man, are you sure you wanna go through with this?"  
  
"For the chance to change the past and be able to walk again...why not?" asked Hunter. "Now, what's with the machine? It looks as if someone went through it with a fine-tooth comb."  
  
"Some of the guys pulled the wiring apart, so unless you've got a technological mind, it won't work," explained Murray.  
  
"No worries – I've had some training for situations like this," Hunter assured him. "All I have to do is hotwire this thing the way you'd hotwire a car if you didn't have the keys for it."  
  
Sighing, Murray stepped away and watched while Hunter examined the machine's wiring system. "Hmmm...not too complex, really, at least if you know what you're looking for." He started fooling around with the wires. "Now, let's see here...some of these wires are pretty shot, but if I cross this one with that, and cross this one over here..."  
  
Fifteen minutes later Hunter pulled his wheelchair away from the machine, apparently satisfied. "Now, let's plug 'er in!" he ordered.  
  
Murray complied. Soon, the machine was operative, purring like a satisfied puss. "Now, let's punch in the desired date," said Hunter. As Murray watched, he punched in the date 09.05.1994.  
  
"Why that far back?" Murray asked.  
  
"Believe me, there are lots of things I'd like to change in my past," Hunter admitted. "If I can have the opportunity to change it all, then why not?"  
  
As Hunter rolled the wheelchair up to the machine, Murray suddenly noticed something – the light bulb above their heads was flickering dangerously. "Man, Hunter, we gotta stop this!" he croaked. "I've got a bad feeling – "  
  
"Oh, shuddap!" Hunter snapped. "You are such a pessimist, it's a wonder you got a job as police dispatcher! Have a little faith, would you?!"  
  
"No, man, I'm dead serious! Something is very wrong here!" Murray argued.  
  
"Well, if you don't want to stay, then don't stay. But I'm not backing out now." With that Hunter turned away from Murray, signaling that that was the end of the discussion.  
  
Throwing up his hands in frustration, Murray hurried out of the room, leaving Hunter to do as he would. Hunter himself watched in fascination as the machine started to generate a bright blue portal – the gateway between time periods. "Finally...I can correct the mistake that caused all of this in the first place," he said softly.  
  
That was when things started to become fatal.  
  
Suddenly, without any warning, the wires Hunter had crossed sparked, igniting flames in the system and near the console. However, Hunter had started entering the energy field and was so ecstatic, he didn't even notice. Until – "What the hey?" He sniffed. "Burning?"  
  
Then he shot a look at the wiring system, now completely aflame. "Oh, sh – "  
  
That was all he could muster before the sudden blast of light consumed him.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0700 hrs. PLACE: The Watchtower  
  
Flash was going through his wardrobe, searching in vain for something. "Hmmm...no...not that...no..." he muttered.  
  
As he continued his fruitless searching, he heard a voice behind him. "Forgive my intrusion, but...just what are you searching for?" Turning, he came face-to-face with J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, the Watchtower's major resident.  
  
"Oh, hey, J'onn," said Flash. He then held up two tuxedos – a standard black one with a suave red bow tie, and an all-white one with a black bow tie. "Say, which one d'you think looks better?"  
  
"Ah...actually, I'm not very big on fashion," said J'onn. "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Well, you see," Flash explained, "I'm going on a date later tonight. Her name's Linda Park – she's a really hot chick working for Central City Channel 4."  
  
"I see," J'onn replied. He thought for a moment. "Does she know about your identity?"  
  
Flash sighed. "Actually, yes, she already knows."  
  
"You told her?"  
  
"Didn't have to," Flash explained. "Some years ago, she figured it out all on her own while she was doing some investigative reporting that involved me."  
  
"Oh. Well, have fun when the time comes."  
  
Flash looked at him and considered. "You know, you could come along if you wanted to..."  
  
"Thank you, but – I wouldn't want to intrude on your private moment with her. Besides, someone has to stay here and keep watch for any disturbances on Earth."  
  
Just then the doors slid open, and in walked Batman. "Oh, hey, Bats," said Flash by way of greeting.  
  
"Flash, put the tuxedos down and come with me," Batman answered. "There's a news item going on that you might want to see."  
  
Flash put the tuxedos down and, with J'onn following behind him, he went with Batman to the debriefing room. "What's going on?" he asked.  
  
Here Batman indicated the television, which was carrying a news item. "See for yourself," he said.  
  
Flash paid attention to the news at that moment. "Late last night," the anchor was saying, "the Central City police station was partially destroyed by fire. Although the fire brigade was successful in putting out the blaze, officials still have no definitive clue as to the origin of the fire. Also, though there were no casualties in the fire, the damage cost is estimated at nearly $4,000,000."  
  
"Whew! That's some pretty heavy stuff," Flash whistled.  
  
"Just keep listening," Batman urged.  
  
The news anchor continued. "Still in news on Central City, Officer Hunter Zolomon was reported missing just minutes ago by officials at the Central City General Hospital. Officer Zolomon was paralyzed from the waist down in the midst of a battle between Gorilla Grodd and the Justice League yesterday afternoon. If you see Officer Zolomon, or have any knowledge of his whereabouts, please contact 9-1-1."  
  
Stunned, Flash switched off the TV. Batman then asked, "What do you think?"  
  
"Officer Zolomon – Flash, isn't he a friend of yours?" J'onn asked.  
  
At once Flash jumped up and spun around. "Hey, you don't possibly think – " he demanded.  
  
"I'm not saying what I think," Batman said coolly. "But we can't rule out the possibility, either."  
  
"What possibility?"  
  
"That Zolomon arranged to be taken out of the hospital and to have the police station set ablaze," Batman answered. "The only question is, if he is responsible – why?"  
  
"If it is true," said J'onn. "The man was paralyzed, remember?"  
  
"I've known men who were sickly and crippled who turned out to be devious criminals," said Batman.  
  
"NO!" Flash exploded, slamming one fist down on the TV. "He wouldn't – he couldn't – do something like this! No way! I won't hear of it!" With that, he stormed out of the room.  
  
J'onn watched as Flash left in a huff. "It is not easy to stand by and listen while one's friend is being accused of a crime," he observed.  
  
"I know," said Batman. "But, as I said, we can't rule out the possibility. Contact Wonder Woman and Green Lantern – we'll need some help in investigating this."  
  
"What have you in mind?" J'onn asked.  
  
"You and I will investigate this fire – see what clues we can dig up," Batman explained. "Meanwhile, I want them to search for Zolomon."  
  
J'onn nodded. "Understood."  
  
Just then they heard the roars of a jet engine. Looking out the window, Batman was just in time to see the Javelin-7 speeding toward Earth. He sighed. "I just hope Flash has enough sense to do some investigating on his own." 


	7. CHAPTER 06

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 05 TIME: 0800 hrs. PLACE: Central City Penitentiary  
  
Grodd sat in his cell, a mechanical helmet on his head, his hands and feet in chains fastened to the walls. As he stared grimly at the floor, a light tapping on his cell door disturbed his train of thought. "Yes?" he barked gruffly.  
  
"Hey, Grodd, you've got a visitor," said the guard, opening the door and admitting a man in a wheelchair into the room. He then locked the door and left, leaving the two alone.  
  
Grodd immediately recognized his visitor. "I remember you...you're Hunter Zolomon, the officer whose back I broke yesterday...but should you even be out of hospital, I wonder?"  
  
"Screw the hospital," Hunter said gruffly. "What's that thing on your head?"  
  
"Oh, this – it's a neuro-restraint helmet...it's supposed to keep my mind powers suppressed, and so far, it works," Grodd grumbled. "But I know you didn't come here to talk about that. What do you want?"  
  
Hunter relaxed in the chair and smiled. Then, much to Grodd's astonishment, he stood up without any discomfort at all. "But...how...?" Grodd couldn't say anything else.  
  
"I have your machine to thank for that," Hunter explained.  
  
"Then it works?!" Grodd said excitedly. Suddenly his excitement disappeared. "Wait a minute – it was meant to be a time machine, so if your broken back's been reversed..."  
  
Hunter settled back into the chair. "Sorry to say, but it exploded while I was trying to use it," he said. "Faulty wiring thanks to those jerks at the police station."  
  
"So...how has it helped you, then?" Grodd wanted to know.  
  
"It's complicated," said Hunter. "But suffice it to say...or rather, why just tell you, when I can show you?"  
  
Then Grodd got an even greater surprise: Hunter picked up the wheelchair, pulled it apart, and had all the pieces in piles on the floor based on size and weight.  
  
In less than two seconds.  
  
Grodd stared at the dismantled wheelchair parts, then at Hunter. "Super-speed?"  
  
"Time, for me, has been sped up thanks to the accident," said Hunter. "So, basically, I'm now as fast as the Flash himself...maybe faster."  
  
"Well," said Grodd, "that's all very interesting, Mr. Zolomon; but what does this have to do with whatever reason you have for coming here?"  
  
"Well, Grodd," said Hunter. "I'd like to propose a partnership – at least for now. I offer you a chance at freedom...and, in return, all I want is a chance to destroy the Flash myself."  
  
Grodd pondered this. "Tell me more."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0830 hrs. PLACE: Central City Park  
  
"Stupid Batman...how dare he...who does he think he is?!" Flash fumed.  
  
He was seated on a bench in the park, almost totally oblivious to the people passing him by. "There's no way Hunter could've been able to pull off something like that...not in his condition..."  
  
Flash stopped, a sudden revelation striking him. Unless...Hunter said he'd spoken to someone down at the police station about the machine...and the only one who could've been at the station near midnight would've been Murray, the dispatcher...maybe Hunter arranged for Murray to sneak him out of the hospital, and...  
  
Flash stood up, determined. "Okay, time to go find out the truth from Murray," he declared. "If anything, he should at least be able to tell me what's happened to Hunter!"  
  
Suddenly, several blocks away, a loud sonic boom could be heard, followed by the screams of civilians. "What the – what's going on now?" Flash wondered as he sped off toward the direction of the boom.  
  
A few seconds later he arrived, just in time to see rubble from a building falling to the street. As pedestrians ran for cover, he spied a baby carriage, unmoved, about to be crushed by the rubble.  
  
"My baby!" a woman shrieked.  
  
Flash responded instantly, dashing up to the carriage and moving it out of harm's way a split second before the rubble landed. Coming up to the frantic mother, he took the wailing baby out of the carriage and handed it to her, amid cheers from the crowd.  
  
"Yeah, Flash! You da man!" someone cried amid the cheering.  
  
"What happened here?" Flash asked. "What caused that thing to collapse?"  
  
Almost as he finished asking the question, a sudden flash of yellow zoomed right past him. A second later a massive sonic boom followed, knocking everyone down and sending debris, glass and a mailbox flying.  
  
"What the heck?!" Flash shouted.  
  
The yellow streak came to an abrupt stop near the end of the street. What Flash and everyone else saw stunned them so much, jaws dropped.  
  
At the end of the street was a man wearing a costume very much like Flash's, but the costume was yellow with red lightning streaks. He wore red boots, and on his chest was a black circle with a red lightning bolt over it. As Flash looked closer, he noticed that the man's eyes were black, with red pupils.  
  
"Who the heck are you?!" Flash demanded.  
  
"Whoa – look at that guy," some of the civilians whispered. "It's some sort of Flash look-alike!"  
  
"A clone, maybe?"  
  
"Some sort of reverse-Flash or something – just look at the costume!"  
  
The mystery mirror image laughed. "Hey...if you really want to call me something," he said, "then I suppose 'Zoom' will be fine. Hey, it actually has a nice ring to it, when you think about it – 'Flash' and 'Zoom.' Sounds kinda cool, huh?"  
  
"What do you want?" Flash barked. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"I only have one purpose in life, Flash: To cause you as much trouble and agony as I possibly can!" Zoom answered. "Starting...NOW!"  
  
Before Flash could blink, suddenly Zoom was gone in a streak of yellow, dashing right past him. Caught totally off-guard, Flash had no time to avoid the impending sonic boom as it knocked him some distance into the window of a restaurant. Getting back up, he quickly dashed off after Zoom, who by this time was several seconds ahead of him.  
  
Racing throughout Central City, Zoom glanced back and chuckled as he watched Flash speeding to catch him. "Catch this, speedy!" he hissed as he flashed past a building in the blink of an eye. The force of the gale following him sent several terrified pedestrians sailing, screaming for help.  
  
Coming up, Flash saw the people falling and quickly increased his speed. Jumping on the side of the building, he quickly used his velocity to bounce off, catching some of the civilians. Landing, he dashed here and there, catching the remaining ones before they could reach the ground.  
  
Not very far away, Zoom applauded. "Bravo, Flash...you really are good at using your speed," he admitted. "But how fast can you go – if it's to save a life?"  
  
"What?!" Flash snapped.  
  
Zoom looked at his wrist as if looking at a watch. "If I were you, Flash, old boy," he said, "I'd be hurrying to my girlfriend's house right now in, about, the next fifteen seconds or so..."  
  
Flash stared at him. "You're bluffing."  
  
"Oh, am I now?" Zoom reached behind him and pulled out a detonator. "Oops – the more time you spend talking to me, the less time she's got! Which, by the way, is about ten seconds – well, see ya!" And he was gone in a streak of yellow.  
  
Flash turned and raced off in the opposite direction, running for all he was worth. As he ran, he pulled out a cell-phone and dialed a number. Dear God, let her be all right...  
  
After two rings, Linda answered. "Hello?"  
  
"Linda, it's me," said Flash. "Get out of your house right now! I'll explain later!"  
  
By this time he was fifty feet from Linda's front gate. "Wally, what's going on?" Linda asked over the phone.  
  
Flash's hand was almost on the doorknob. "Linda – "  
  
BOOM.  
  
Flash had been moving so fast, that when the explosion occurred the force of it threw him back nearly sixty feet, the front door plastering him in the face. Landing hard on the pavement, the breath was knocked out of him for a moment.  
  
Dazed, Flash pushed the door off of him. As he sat up, the realization of what had just happened hit him – the bomb had gone off, blowing Linda's house into flames. As he got up, there was only one thing he could do at that moment. His body going limp, he collapsed to his knees.  
  
"LINDAAAAAA!!!" 


	8. CHAPTER 07

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 07 TIME: 0835 hrs. PLACE: Linda Park's House, Central City  
  
Flash dashed into the blazing house, covering his mouth and nose with the back of one arm as he searched feverishly for Linda. "Linda! Where are you? Answer me!" he yelled.  
  
He zipped through every room, searching frantically. Then, as he entered the kitchen, he found her, sprawled out on the floor in front of the stove, unconscious. "Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed as he scooped her up in his arms and sped out the front door. And not a moment too soon, for as he reached the front gate there came another explosion from further inside the house.  
  
"The gas pipes," he muttered grimly. "If those go..." He didn't stop to think of any further consequences. First he had to get Linda to the hospital – fast.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
A few minutes later Flash was pacing the floor of the waiting room, frustrated. "Come on, come on, come on," he whispered between clenched teeth.  
  
Just then Batman entered the room. "I came as soon as I got your call," he said. "What's happened?"  
  
Flash leaned half-heartedly on the wall. "There's a new problem," he said. "Some guy calling himself Zoom has arrived in Central City. He tried to kill Linda by putting a bomb in her house."  
  
"The same woman you were going to date later, am I correct?" asked Batman.  
  
Flash nodded. "I just brought her here, but the doctor hasn't come out yet." He sighed and turned his gaze to the floor. "Um, Bats..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well...about before...back at the Watchtower...I'm..."  
  
Flash felt a hand on his shoulder. "I understand," Batman replied. "It's normal to stand by your friends, even if they are guilty of some wrong. I should know. Remind me to tell you the story some other time."  
  
Flash nodded, then changed the subject. "So, your investigation...any news?" he asked.  
  
Batman turned away. "Lantern and Diana are searching for Zolomon right now," he said. "J'onn is investigating the fire at the police station, as well."  
  
"Hey, Bats, do me a favor, would you?" said Flash. "The records room at the police station is still intact, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Why?"  
  
"Just a feeling I've got," said Flash. "Dip into Hunter's file – go as far back as you can go for information on him before he came to Central City."  
  
"Okay. What will you do?"  
  
"In the meantime, I'm going to go have a little chat with Murray – the dispatcher at the police station. Something tells me he may know a thing or two about what has happened."  
  
At that moment the doctor appeared. "Flash, that woman you brought in just now..."  
  
"How is she?" Flash asked eagerly.  
  
"It's lucky for her you brought her in when you did," the doctor answered. "She's suffered second-degree burns, a concussion and smoke inhalation...but she'll be fine with a few days' rest."  
  
"Can I see her?" Flash asked.  
  
"Unfortunately, no," the doctor answered. "We're still working on her right now, and she'll need as much rest as she can get."  
  
Flash nodded solemnly. "I understand, Doctor. Thank you."  
  
The doctor nodded, then turned and left. Flash turned to face Batman, his face grim. "Okay, Bats. Let's go do our thing."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0900 hrs. PLACE: Apartment 4C, Georgie's Apartments  
  
Murray sighed as he sunk his donut into the mug of cream before him. Taking a bite out of it, he reflected on what had happened only last night – the police station blowing up with Hunter inside. "Poor guy," he moaned.  
  
"Talking about Hunter, I presume?" a voice behind him asked.  
  
Startled, Murray turned to come face-to-face with the Flash, leaning on the wall, arms folded. "Oh – hey, Flash! How'd you get in?" he asked.  
  
"Your door was unlocked, you fat piece of nothing," Flash said coldly. "We need to talk."  
  
Before Murray could say another word, Flash grabbed him by the collar and sped off toward the roof of the building. "What're you doing?" Murray asked in alarm.  
  
"Start talking, Murray," Flash snarled. "You're the dispatcher of the Central City police – you were the only one Hunter could've talked to last night, the only one who could've been there. What happened?"  
  
Murray panicked. "I – I can't!" he croaked. "They'll discharge me from the force if anyone ever finds out!"  
  
Flash's look became grim. Zipping over to the edge of the roof, he held a terrified Murray suspended far above the ground. "Pretty nice view from up here, isn't it?" he asked. "Let me tell you something, Murray – right at this point, I don't give one iota whether you're a cop or not. You're worried about being discharged from the force? That ought to be the least of your problems right now, because if you don't start being honest with me, the only place you'll get discharged from is this rooftop!"  
  
Murray took one look down to the ground and turned pale with fright. "All right! All right! I'll talk, I'll talk!" he screamed.  
  
"Now, that's better. What happened last night?"  
  
"Hunter, he – he called me at the station. He wanted to know if Grodd's time machine – the one we confiscated from the subway – he wanted to know if it was still in working condition. When I told him it was, he asked me to sneak him out of his room at the hospital and take him to the station."  
  
"And?" Flash purposely loosened his grip on Murray's collar, scaring the cop even further.  
  
"I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't change his mind!" Murray said hoarsely. "He managed to hotwire the thing – set it for ten years ago – said something about changing all the mistakes he made back then! Then I got a bad feeling something was gonna happen, so I hightailed it outta there!"  
  
"And the explosion?"  
  
"I don't know – I swear I don't know!" Murray babbled. "Might've been a short-circuit, though – just before I left, the lights were flickering really bad. The machine must've caused it – that's all I know!"  
  
"So didn't you go back to look for Hunter?" Flash demanded.  
  
"I tried, but when I saw the firefighters and everyone there, I panicked! What was I supposed to do?" Murray protested.  
  
In disgust, Flash flung Murray to one side on the rooftop. "You're a disgrace to your uniform," he growled as he sped off. 


	9. CHAPTER 08

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 08 TIME: 0915 hrs. PLACE: Central City Police Station  
  
At the police station, Batman and J'onn were going through various files salvaged from the ruins of the fire. "Found anything yet?" J'onn asked. "I mean, on what Flash asked you to find."  
  
"I'm not looking for that now – I'm trying to examine this video- camera," said Batman. He was examining the video camera that had been recovered from the destroyed evidence room. "There may be some footage on it that we can use."  
  
Meanwhile, J'onn was searching various folders. As he came upon one, he announced, "I have something."  
  
"Read it to me. What's it say?" asked Batman, still engrossed in the camera.  
  
J'onn read from the folder. "It says Hunter Zolomon used to be a member of the FBI ten years ago," he said. "However, he got fired from his job four years later. That was around the time he got a job as a profiler for the police here in Central City. Everything else after that details the cases he's given insight on to apprehend various criminals."  
  
"Is that all?" asked Batman.  
  
"Hmmm...There's also a psychiatric evaluation for him here."  
  
"Go on."  
  
J'onn scanned through the file. "Zolomon apparently carries around a great deal of resentment deep inside," he announced. "Just before he was to leave for college in his late teens, his parents died on the same day – his mother killed by his father, who was in turn killed by the police. It also says that the reason he got discharged from the FBI was because of an error in judgment on his part that cost him the life of his partner...and his marriage, as a result."  
  
Batman said nothing for a moment. "So...then Zolomon was already a psycho?" he asked.  
  
"Probably," said J'onn. "It would appear that all the ingredients were in the pot; all one would need to do was stir." He shut the folder and put it down. "Any luck with that tape?"  
  
Batman held up the tape from the video camera, miraculously undamaged. "Let's see what's on this."  
  
The two went to the control room, where Batman plopped the tape into the VCR. As the footage came on, the two watched as Hunter Zolomon, guided in his wheelchair by the dispatcher Murray, attempted to use Grodd's machine. What happened next was the machine exploding, forcing the camera off-line.  
  
Batman switched off the VCR. "So, Zolomon was responsible for the fire, although not directly or purposely," he surmised.  
  
Whereupon J'onn turned on his com-link. "Lantern, do you copy?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Green Lantern and Wonder Woman were flying over the streets of the city, when Lantern's com-link suddenly went off. "Lantern here," he said, answering it.  
  
"We've made a breakthrough here," said J'onn. "It turns out Hunter Zolomon was the one who caused the explosion at the police station. Have you found him yet?"  
  
"Negative," Lantern answered. "We'll keep searching, though, and keep you posted."  
  
"Very well." The line went dead.  
  
"Any news?" asked Wonder Woman.  
  
"We have to find Zolomon, and fast," said Lantern. "For all we know, he could be lying in a gutter somewhere."  
  
Just then, they heard the shrill screams of civilians below them. Looking down, they saw people running for cover as what appeared to be a giant pair of legs stampeding all over the street.  
  
"Giganta!" exclaimed Wonder Woman.  
  
"And that means only one thing," Lantern said grimly. "Gorilla Grodd."  
  
One look further up the street confirmed it. Grodd and Giganta were creating havoc in the heart of the city.  
  
At that moment Grodd, looking up, saw the two heroes coming at him at full force. "Giganta, dispel them!" he ordered.  
  
Giganta complied, shrinking slightly so she could be on nearly the same level with them. Tackling Wonder Woman with both arms, the two flew some distance away into a building.  
  
"Haven't learned yet, have you, Grodd?" Lantern asked, landing.  
  
"Perhaps not." Grodd smiled. "Tell me, Green Lantern: what's yellow and runs faster than a speeding bullet?"  
  
"Huh?" Lantern asked, puzzled.  
  
Still smiling, Grodd pointed straight ahead. Lantern turned around slightly, not wanting to take his back off Grodd – and felt a hard punch hit with the force of a freight train, sending him flying into a wall.  
  
"Home run," Grodd commented, his smile having not disappeared.  
  
Pulling himself out of the rubble, Lantern was stunned to see a man in a yellow Flash costume. "Who the hey...?"  
  
"Meet my newest ally, Lantern – Zoom, the Reverse-Flash," Grodd introduced him. "The superior to your friend, the Flash."  
  
"That's right," Zoom agreed. "And now, it's time we destroyed you."  
  
Just at that moment Giganta was thrown out of the building into which she and Wonder Woman had collided. Emerging from the hole in wall was Wonder Woman herself. "You're out," she muttered darkly.  
  
As she looked around for Lantern, she caught sight of Zoom. "Wha – ? But who is that?"  
  
Suddenly she felt a hand at her throat, cutting off her breathing. Pinning her to the wall, Giganta grinned wickedly. "That's the guy who broke Grodd and me out of jail," she sneered. "Too bad you won't be able to go introduce yourself, 'cause now I'm gonna make you pay for hitting me yesterday!" With that she raised her fist, ready to smash Wonder Woman's face in.  
  
Suddenly a flash of red streaked past, hitting Giganta and causing her to release her grip on Wonder Woman's throat. The streak then slammed into Zoom and Grodd, knocking both of them down. Lantern took that opportunity to use his ring's energy, turning it into a massive baseball bat and hitting both villains over to the other side of the street. "How's that for a home run?!" he yelled.  
  
At the same moment, Wonder Woman grabbed Giganta, slamming her fist into the other woman's face several times before bodily taking her up and throwing her to one side. Getting up, Grodd and Zoom looked up just in time to see Giganta about to land on them.  
  
"Oh, no," they said in unison before Giganta crashed down on them.  
  
The red streak then re-emerged, forming into the Flash. "Miss me?" he asked.  
  
"Flash!" exclaimed Lantern. "What took you so long?"  
  
"I had a little investigating of my own to do," said Flash. "I see you've met Zoom."  
  
"He's the one who broke these two out of prison," Wonder Woman informed them, walking up. "But now, all three of them are going straight to jail."  
  
"Not just yet," said Flash. "First, let's see who's hiding underneath this mask."  
  
As Wonder Woman and Lantern watched, Flash bent down and dragged Zoom out from under Giganta. He then took a hold of Zoom's mask, carefully pulling it back – and recoiled in horror.  
  
"No...no, it can't be..." he whispered, his legs now unsteady.  
  
The man underneath the mask was Hunter Zolomon.  
  
"Is that – Zolomon?" Wonder Woman asked.  
  
Lantern bent down and examined him. "It is."  
  
"But...I don't understand...his back was broken...how could he be..." Flash looked so pale, Wonder Woman had to hold onto him to support him.  
  
"I believe we can answer that," J'onn's voice came in. Turning, the trio saw him flying up to them, followed by the Batmobile. As the Batmobile's top came off, Batman emerged, holding Hunter's file.  
  
"Zolomon hotwired Grodd's time machine and tried to use it," Batman explained. "But the amount of power that the machine generated was too much for the frailty of the wiring system, and it exploded. When it did, some of the speed molecules generated by the machine must've somehow been absorbed into Zolomon's body. That could perhaps explain his back – his metabolism, like yours, Flash, was speeded up, allowing his spinal cord to heal at a much faster rate than normal. That also explains his super-speed."  
  
"Oh, man," Flash groaned, looking at Hunter.  
  
"That's not all," Batman went on, handing him the file. "The info you asked me to find on him...here it is."  
  
Flash took the file and looked it through. "Holy mother of God," he whispered. "It all makes sense now..."  
  
"What're you talking about?" asked Lantern.  
  
"It all makes sense," Flash repeated. "Hunter asked me to use my speed to go back in time to reverse the past, but I refused...so he tried to hotwire the thing on his own, but...and he's the only one who knew of any connection between me and Linda..."  
  
Suddenly, without warning, a sudden streak of yellow flashed past the group. Looking in the direction of the streak, they saw Zoom standing before them, his mask replaced on his face. "I'm gonna kill you!" he roared.  
  
"We know who you are now, man," said Lantern. "You'd better give up, or else it'll mean big trouble for you."  
  
"DARN YOU!" Zoom screamed, darting at them again – but this time Lantern quickly used his ring to create a barrier around the yellow speedster's legs, suspending him upside-down in the air.  
  
Then Flash stepped forward. "G.L....let him go."  
  
At that the others looked at him as though he were mad. "What?" exclaimed Lantern.  
  
"Think about it," said Flash. "I'm the reason he exists now, and he'll never stop anyway until we finish this quarrel. Besides...this is how I want it. Please trust me."  
  
The others didn't say anything for a moment. Then Batman gave in. "As long as you know what you're doing."  
  
Flash nodded. "Let him go."  
  
Reluctantly, Lantern relinquished his energy from a now confused and suspicious Zoom. "Think you're bad, huh?" Flash challenged him. "Well, catch me if you can!" And then he was gone in a streak of red.  
  
Snarling, Zoom turned and dashed after his adversary. "I honestly hope Flash knows what he's up against," Lantern shook his head.  
  
"He's smarter than that, don't worry," said Batman knowingly. "Besides...we have a little problem of our own to clear up." He indicated behind the group, where Grodd and Giganta were now getting back up.  
  
"Ah, finally you decide to turn attention back to us," Grodd growled. "Well, Justice League, shall we finish this battle now?"  
  
Giganta, as though on cue, quickly grew to her full height and mass. "I'll crush all of you!" she shrieked.  
  
J'onn quickly increased his own height and mass until he was on the same eye-level with her. "Bring it on."  
  
Screaming, Giganta lunged at him, grabbing for his throat. J'onn caught her hands, however, and the two began to struggle against each other. Back on the ground, the other three heroes charged Grodd – and were blown back by his telekinesis. 


	10. CHAPTER 09

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 09 TIME: 0918 hrs. PLACE: An abandoned refinery outside Central City  
  
Two streaks – one red, the other yellow – raced toward the abandoned factory at hyper-speed. As the two streaks tore along the road, they left behind a gust of wind so forceful, trash cans were hurled forward like cannonballs.  
  
Gradually the yellow streak inched closer and closer to the red streak, until they were traveling exactly parallel to each other. "What d'you think you're doing?" Zoom demanded.  
  
"We're going to settle this without any interruption from anybody else," Flash replied. "It's what you want, isn't it?"  
  
The two continued running. By this time they were among the steel pipes and run-down boilers, heading further and further into the factory until they were in one wide, open space. Here both slowed down to a complete stop. At this point Flash turned to face Zoom.  
  
"Figured it all out, haven't you?" Zoom smirked. "You've figured out who I am, right? And with that knowledge, everything else falls into place."  
  
"Got that right," said Flash.  
  
"You only have yourself to blame for all this, though," Zoom said spitefully. "If only you'd done me the favor I asked, like friends do...we wouldn't have to be fighting each other like this."  
  
"No, Hunter," Flash said in an acid tone. "You are no friend of mine. Not anymore."  
  
"Indeed," Zoom grinned evilly. "And for your information, Hunter Zolomon is no more. Zoom is all that remains."  
  
"In that case," said Flash, "I'll have no trouble breaking your neck."  
  
Zoom's grin vanished. "Now, Flash, ol' pal," he glowered, "I'm gonna run you straight down to Hades...and I won't feel an ounce of remorse for taking you there."  
  
"Bring it."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Lantern's warning came an instant too late as Grodd grabbed Wonder Woman's oncoming fist in his palm. Flailing her around, he sent her flying straight into Lantern, and both of them crashed into a lamppost.  
  
Batman stepped forward. "Come on, Grodd; surely you can do much better than that, can't you?"  
  
Using his telekinesis, Grodd lifted two cars off the ground and hurled them at Batman, who quickly fired his grappling gun at a nearby window ledge. Pulling himself out of harm's way, Batman released his grappling hook's hold on the ledge and came down bodily on top of Grodd, kicking him in the head and forcing him back. Coming to his aid, Lantern fired a blast of energy at Grodd's stomach, pushing him further back.  
  
Meanwhile, J'onn and Giganta, still giants, were exchanging heavy blows with each other. Presently J'onn swerved aside to avoid a massive left hook, then swiftly charged in with a powerful tackle, knocking her over and nearly causing her to lose her balance. Wonder Woman, getting back up from off the ground, saw this and quickly took out her golden lasso. Twirling it around as she flew in, she lassoed a lamppost on Giganta's left, then pulled back and held her end of the rope as firmly as she could. Stepping back involuntarily, Giganta's foot caught on the rope and she lost her balance completely, toppling over.  
  
At the same time, Grodd was using his mind powers to ward off Lantern's ring attack. In the meantime, Batman, looking up, saw Giganta falling and got an idea. Taking out one of his trademark Batarangs, he threw it at a wall parallel to Grodd's head. Seeing this, Grodd was amused. "You really do have bad aim, Batman," he gloated, his kinesis become stronger and pushing Lantern's power further back.  
  
Batman just smiled. "Who ever said I was aiming for you?"  
  
Grodd stared at him in puzzlement – and then grimaced as the Batarang exploded, showering him with bricks from the wall. Lantern saw the opportunity and formed his energy into a giant wrecking ball, slamming Grodd in the face and knocking him further back – right in the path of the falling Giganta.  
  
Shaking his head to get his bearings back, Grodd glanced at the ground and noticed a huge shadow lying there. "Oh, no, not again," he groaned. He quickly used his kinesis to suspend her body in the air, but her weight was starting to put pressure on him.  
  
Batman noticed this. "We need a distraction, Lantern. Something to take his mind off the task at hand."  
  
"One distraction, coming up!" Lantern quickly formed his energy into a hand, and used it to grab one of Grodd's legs. Taken completely by surprise, Grodd could do nothing as the energy hand pulled his leg out from under him, forcing him on his back. At that moment Giganta crashed down on him.  
  
Shrinking back to normal size, J'onn joined the rest of the League as they gathered around the fallen Grodd and Giganta, watching as the latter returned to her normal size, as well. Both had been knocked out, Giganta from her fall, Grodd from having well over ten tons of false weight dropped on him.  
  
"Well, I'd say we've won this one," said Wonder Woman, reclaiming her lasso.  
  
"Not just yet," said J'onn. "There's still one more to go."  
  
"Yeah, THAT guy," Lantern recalled.  
  
"Don't worry about that – Flash will take care of him," said Batman. "Right now, our biggest concern should be getting these two back into prison cells."  
  
There was no objection from the others. Gathering the unconscious Grodd and Giganta into an energy sphere, Lantern flew off with them in the direction of the penitentiary, J'onn and Wonder Woman accompanying him and Batman following below in the Batmobile.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
"YAAAARGH!"  
  
Flash and Zoom sped at each other, screaming like men gone mad. They clotheslined each other at super-speed, landing on their backs some fifteen feet away from each other. Not missing a beat, they jumped back up simultaneously and rushed each other again. This time they began punching at each other at hyper-speed, blocking and parrying each other's fists. Finally Flash managed a sucker-punch to the face that knocked Zoom back down to the ground.  
  
Zoom wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. "Pretty good, drawing first blood like that," he commended his adversary, "but now it's my turn!"  
  
He jumped up and began to run at Flash again – but instead of doing anything he just ran past Flash. Looking at him in bewilderment, Flash suddenly howled in agony as a massive sonic boom ripped through him, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into a pipeline.  
  
As Flash landed on the ground, Zoom laughed hysterically. "You never learn, do you, you wuss?!" he demanded.  
  
Flash got up gingerly. "Actually," he remarked, "I have a few improvised moves of my own. Just watch."  
  
All of a sudden, Flash was speeding round and round Zoom. The other speedster, on seeing this, laughed. "I can do that, too!" he cried, and he began running in circles as well, but in the opposite direction.  
  
As they passed each other multiple times in seconds, Zoom shouted, "You know you can't keep this up forever, Flash! I'll just knock you over!"  
  
"Really." Before Zoom could react, Flash suddenly took a jumping step and stepped heavily on his knee. As Zoom winced and started to fall forward, Flash did a back-flip and kicked him in the chest with one foot, then under the chin with the other. As Flash came back right side up, he did a double foot-thrust to the chest that send Zoom sailing, skidding on his rear.  
  
Flash regarded his downed foe for a moment. "There's still something I don't quite understand, however," he said. "You said you were going to cause agony for me, but somehow it doesn't seem to be meaningful enough. Just what are you going to accomplish by killing me?"  
  
Zoom stood up, brushing dust off his person. "Let me tell you something, buddy-boy," he said quietly. "Now, then. This is the story of a little boy named Hunter Zolomon. When he was very small, he didn't get a lot of love from either of his parents, and they didn't show a lot of love for each other, either, for that matter."  
  
Flash stayed on his guard. He didn't know what Zoom was up to; yet, somehow, part of him sensed that Hunter Zolomon might still be alive inside this monster, begging for someone to just listen to his side of things for a moment.  
  
"Now, see, the tragic part of this story is that little Hunter's father was a murderer, and on the day Hunter was to leave for college, his father killed his mother, and then in turn was killed by the cops." Zoom's raspy tone was starting to become even-edged, just the way Hunter's voice had always been.  
  
As he talked, Zoom walked very slowly, moving in a circle, but always keeping at least fifteen feet away from Flash. The villain's eyes had already told him that, if he kept distracting Flash with his talking, there would be a moment when Flash's back would be turned to the entrance of the room.  
  
"A few years later, Hunter became a member of the FBI after much hard work," he kept on talking. "He found happiness with a young woman, whose father was working for the FBI. Hunter and the old man became friends, and eventually partners in the field. However, after many successful cases, Hunter made a mistake while chasing a notorious criminal. That mistake led to the death of the old man, and consequently, the woman divorced Hunter, and he was cast out of the FBI. That was approximately ten or so years ago; I believe you know everything that happened after that."  
  
"Hunter came to Central City...and became a police profiler," Flash finished the story. "But then, only one day ago, his back was broken by Gorilla Grodd..."  
  
"...and that's when he asked his friend, the Flash, the great Scarlet Speedster of Central City, to use his speed to run back in time and prevent the mistake that had cost him everything. But do you know what you did? You REFUSED! You flatly said NO! So, now I'm going to make you learn a very costly lesson..."  
  
Flash watched him carefully.  
  
"It would be a simple thing to kill you, except for the fact that you and I are evenly matched in terms of speed and fighting skills. So, I'll do the next best thing and take away the one thing that means more to you than anything else in the whole wide world..."  
  
Flash started. "Linda!"  
  
"Exactly right! And do you know what else? I'm going to make you understand that, if you want to avert tragedy, you've got to do everything in your power, even if you have to risk your all!"  
  
"Why, you gutless son-of-a...if you lay even a finger on her, I'll – "  
  
Suddenly Zoom shot past Flash, rushing for the entrance. "See ya, sucker!"  
  
Before Flash could turn to chase after him, the sonic boom Zoom had left behind smacked him full in the face, tumbling him some ten feet away. As he writhed on the floor, he suddenly remembered what Zoom had just told him.  
  
...now I'm going to make you learn a very costly lesson... I'll do the next best thing and take away the one thing that means more to you than anything else in the whole wide world... I'm going to make you understand that, if you want to avert tragedy, you've got to do everything in your power, even if you have to risk your all!  
  
"No! No, no, no, NO!"  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Zoom was speeding along the road, closing in on Central City. "Soon, Linda...very, very soon..." he chuckled to himself.  
  
As he ran along, Central City became even closer on the horizon. Then ten seconds later, he was touching on the border – then he was rushing through the streets, closing in on the hospital. "Hush, little baby, don't say a word," he chuckled.  
  
But as he ran, he became morosely aware of a ripping sound behind him. "What the heck is that?" Looking back, he was shocked at what he saw.  
  
The Flash was closing in on him, moving far faster than Zoom had seen him go yet, literally ripping up the pavement and leaving a blazing trail behind him.  
  
"Holy – " Zoom managed to cry out before Flash decked him in the back of the head, knocking him down. Zoom toppled over, but he'd been going so fast that, even as he fell, he skidded face-first along the ground for an extra ten feet.  
  
When he finally stopped skidding, Zoom got up, wiping the blood off his forehead. "Don't you ever give up?" he protested.  
  
Flash stood before Zoom, a look of doom on his face. "You are not going to get to Linda while I'm still alive," he retorted. "You'll have to kill me first! Understand, you sick piece of garbage? You will have to KILL ME FIRST!"  
  
Zoom grinned maliciously. "So, that's your choice...very well. So be it."  
  
The two ultimate adversaries stood there in the street, staring each other down. Around them, a crowd of civilians was gathering to watch the conclusion of the fight. All eyes were now on the two speedsters. Even traffic had come to a complete halt as everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.  
  
Then both men spoke in one voice. "Time to blitz." 


	11. CHAPTER 10

SPEED FORCE  
  
(JUSTICE LEAGUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE icon and all names and characters therein are property of and owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Any attempt to use any such property of these companies without their proper authorization and/or permission can and will result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.)  
  
(I do not own JUSTICE LEAGUE, nor am I in any way affiliated with Cartoon Network or DC Comics. I'm just a diehard fan who loves the show.)  
  
(This fanfic is rated PG. It contains mild violence.)  
  
CHAPTER 10 TIME: 0940 hrs. PLACE: Central City Penitentiary  
  
Grodd's eyes fluttered open. As his senses slowly returned, he realized that he was back in his old cell, the neuro-restrainer back in place on his head. "Oh, well, I suppose we can't win all the time," he sighed.  
  
"You should rephrase that, Grodd, because you never win," Lantern's voice came from the other side of the door.  
  
As Grodd became livid and hurled abuse and obscenities at him, Giganta, from the cell opposite, hurled abuse of her own. Ignoring both of them, Lantern simply walked off and headed to the front gate, where the others were waiting.  
  
"Lantern, we have a problem," Batman announced. "I just picked up a report on the police scanner in the Batmobile. Flash and Zoom are fighting in the heart of the city."  
  
"Shouldn't we head over to where they are?" Wonder Woman asked.  
  
"I agree," said J'onn. "Flash may need our help."  
  
"Let,s go, then," said Lantern. "We haven't a moment to lose."  
  
With that the four heroes started off toward the site of the battle, Batman roaring off in the Batmobile and the others flying off.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
Flash and Zoom were attacking each other nonstop at hyper-speed, blocking and parrying each other and each getting in a hit on the other once in a while. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, they backed away and paused for breath. Seeing this, the crowd began to shout its encouragement to the Scarlet Speedster.  
  
"Go, Flash!"  
  
"Don't give up, Flash!"  
  
"You can beat that fake, Flash!"  
  
Hearing the crowd cheering for Flash enraged Zoom even more. "Soon, this crowd will have to take back their cheers, because I'll have your face buried in the dirt!" he vowed.  
  
At that moment the other heroes arrived. "There they are!" Lantern exclaimed.  
  
"Should we help?" asked Wonder Woman.  
  
"No, let's watch this one and see where it leads," J'onn advised.  
  
"That's right," Batman put in. "This is a personal matter. Let them settle it."  
  
Almost as he finished speaking, Flash and Zoom were back at it, throwing hyper-fast attacks at each other. Then, suddenly, as Zoom flung a punch at Flash's face, the other dodged aside and sent a punishing punch to his stomach, crippling him.  
  
The spectators, including the other heroes, began to cheer Flash on. "Yeah, that's it! Get him now!"  
  
Flash saw his opportunity, and he wasn't about to miss it. Running around Zoom, he began to create a tornado so powerful, it lifted the yellow speedster off the ground; so forceful, even the other heroes had to hold their ground rather tightly so as not to move.  
  
"AAAAHHH!!!" Zoom screamed. "Stop, please, stop! I'm getting dizzy!"  
  
Finally, Flash lessened the extent of his speed enough for Zoom to fall to the ground with a heavy thud. Picking up a now dazed Zoom, Flash held one fist high; ready to land the decisive blow.  
  
"You'll never hurt anyone again," he said softly, "the way you hurt Linda."  
  
Zoom's eyes showed half-disbelief. "You...you're kidding...right? You wouldn't do that to your best friend!" he whispered.  
  
Flash's look became one of death and his fist tightened. "You are no friend of mine."  
  
Zoom's eyes widened to show genuine terror.  
  
A hand was laid on his shoulder. Looking across, Flash's eyes met Batman's. "You've won, Flash," the Dark Knight said. "You've stopped a dangerous psycho and saved hundreds of lives. Just listen to this crowd cheering for you. That should be enough payback for what Zoom has done."  
  
Flash looked from Batman to Zoom and back again and, deep down, he knew Batman was right. Sighing, he released his grip on Zoom, letting him fall to the ground. "Okay, Bats. Let's take him in."  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0945 hrs. PLACE: Central City General Hospital  
  
Linda's eyes slowly opened. As her vision came into focus, she caught sight of Wally West sitting by her bedside, flowers in his hand. "Glad to see you're finally awake, beautiful."  
  
She managed a smile. "Hi, Wally."  
  
"How're you feeling now?" he asked gently.  
  
"Kinda groggy," she admitted, "like I was just waking up from a long dream."  
  
"Yeah, you were out of it for a while," said Wally, "but everything is fine now."  
  
"So, what's happened?" she asked.  
  
Wally then presented a newspaper, flashing the headline: JUSTICE LEAGUE DEFEATS THREE DANGEROUS VILLAINS. On the front page were pictures of Grodd, Giganta and Zoom.  
  
"Who's this guy?" Linda asked, pointing at Zoom's picture.  
  
Wally sighed. "It's Hunter."  
  
"Hunter?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
"It's a long story, believe me."  
  
Linda nodded and set the paper on the nightstand. "So, what happens now?" she asked.  
  
"That's up to us, I guess," said Wally. "But, this whole experience has taught me one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
The next thing she knew, Wally was drawing her closer into his arms. "How much you really mean to me, that's what. And I will never, ever let anything happen to you, as long as it's in my power."  
  
She returned the embrace. "And as long as you're fast enough to counter it?" They both burst into laughter at that comment.  
  
**************************************************************************** ****************  
  
TIME: 0955 hrs. PLACE: The Watchtower  
  
Much later, the Flash was back at the Watchtower, looking woefully at his whiteboard. "So much has happened, and now I've lost a best friend," he lamented. "I don't even think I can put his picture on this thing..."  
  
"You can't, huh?" came a familiar voice behind him. He didn't need to turn to see who it was.  
  
"Hey, Bats. What is it?"  
  
"Lantern told me about your whiteboard on the way back," Batman explained. "I thought you'd need this to add to the collection."  
  
Flash looked at what Batman was talking about. In the Dark Knight's hand was a mug shot of Zoom.  
  
"You really think I should?" Flash asked.  
  
"I'm not saying what I think," Batman answered. "It's all up to you."  
  
Flash nodded and, taking the photo from Batman, pasted it at the very top of the pyramid, right where the most dangerous foe's picture would be.  
  
"By the way," Batman added, "I'm supposed to tell you a story about a friend of mine who turned out about the same way, right?"  
  
Flash nodded. "Yeah, I remember."  
  
Batman turned and started to walk away. "Come with me, then. We'll have a bite to eat – to maintain your metabolism. You have been speeding around all morning, anyhow. I'll tell you the story on the way."  
  
"Oh, all right." Flash walked along with Batman.  
  
"Very well, then," said the Dark Knight knowingly. "It all started some years ago with an old friend of mine, a lawyer named Harvey Dent..."  
  
THE END 


End file.
